Child passport requirements: who must appear, which documents and what it costs by age

A child under 16 can only get a U.S. passport in person, with both parents or guardians present and approving, on Form DS-11. The book costs $135 ($100 application fee plus a $35 acceptance fee), it is valid for 5 years, and it can't be renewed by mail. At 16 the rules switch to the adult version: ten-year validity, adult fees, and only one parent needs to know about it.

If one parent can't come, there is a way around it, covered below. Plan around the calendar too: routine processing is currently 4–6 weeks, not counting mailing time.

• Under 16both parents or guardians appear with the childvalid 5 years; no mail-in renewal
• 16–17apply in person; one parent must be awarevalid 10 years, adult fees
• $135passport book for a child under 16$100 application fee + $35 acceptance fee
• 4–6 weeksroutine processingplus mailing time; expedited is 2–3 weeks for $60 more

Stand: October 2026 · Source: travel.state.gov (Apply for a Child's Passport Under 16; Passport Fees).

Under 16: the basics

The State Department's rules for a child under 16 come down to four points. Both parents or guardians approve and appear in person with the child. You can't use the mail-in renewal form (DS-82) for a child. The passport is valid for five years. And you can ask for a book, a card, or both; if your child will travel abroad several times a year, you can tick the large-book box on the form for extra pages.

Fill out DS-11 with the State Department's form filler and print it single-sided. Don't sign it. The passport acceptance agent, at a post office, library or local government office, watches you sign.

What to bring

• Form DS-11, printed single-sided and not yet signedsign only when the acceptance agent asks
• The child's original U.S. birth certificate, with sealplus a photocopy on 8.5 x 11 paper
• Proof of the parent-child linkthe birth certificate if it lists you; otherwise an adoption or custody decree or court order
• Each parent's photo ID, plus a photocopy of front and backa second ID if yours is from another state
• One passport photo of the childdo not staple it
• Two paymentscheck or money order for the State Department; the facility's own method for $35

Source: travel.state.gov, Apply for a Child's Passport Under 16.

The children's list is longer than yours because every document has to prove something about the child, the parents, or the relationship between them.

• Proof of the child's citizenship: usually the original U.S. birth certificate, with the seal or stamp of the city, county or state, both parents' names, and a filing date within one year of birth. An undamaged valid or expired passport, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a Certificate of Citizenship also works. Electronic birth certificates are not accepted: the department wants paper.
• Proof of the parent-child relationship: if the birth certificate doesn't show you as the parent, bring an adoption decree, a custody or divorce decree, or a court order. If your name changed, bring the name change decree or marriage certificate.
• Photo ID for each parent, plus photocopies of the front and back of the IDs and of the citizenship document, single-sided, on 8.5 by 11 inch paper.
• One passport photo of the child.

The documents come back to you later in a separate envelope, up to four weeks after the passport.

Fees by age

Under 16: passport bookapplication fee + facility acceptance fee

$100 + $35

Under 16: passport card

$15 + $35

Under 16: book and card

$115 + $35

16–17: passport bookthe adult DS-11 fee

$130 + $35

16–17: passport card

$30 + $35

Expedited service2–3 weeks instead of 4–6

+ $60

1–3 day return deliverynot offered for a card alone

+ $22.05

As of October 2026, from the State Department fee table. Pay the application fee by check or money order to the U.S. Department of State; ask the facility how it takes the $35.

You pay twice: once to the State Department by check or money order, and a $35 acceptance fee to the facility. Expedited service adds $60, and return delivery in 1–3 days adds $22.05.

For ages 16 and 17 the adult fee table applies: $130 for a book and $30 for a card, plus the $35. The table above shows both, side by side. The department recommends a separate check for each child, though one will do if the family applies together and the memo lists everyone.

Processing times change with demand. The State Department says to plan ahead and apply during its slower season, October through December.

One parent can't come

The department's table covers the common cases:

• Both parents have custody, but one can't appear: that parent signs Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) in front of a notary and you bring a photocopy of the ID they showed the notary.
• One parent has sole legal custody: bring the court order, or a birth certificate or adoption decree listing only you, or the other parent's death certificate.
• Neither parent can go: a notarized DS-3053 or statement from both parents lets another person, a grandparent for example, apply with the child, along with copies of both parents' IDs.
• You can't find the other parent: the department may ask for more evidence, such as a custody or incarceration order.

DS-3053 and other notarized statements must be submitted within three months of signing. If a parent is abroad, some countries' notaries are not accepted and the form must be notarized at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

Ages 16 and 17

A 16 or 17 year old applies in person for a first adult passport, valid for 10 years. They bring their own photo ID (a learner's permit may need a second ID) and must show a parent or guardian knows: the parent applies with them and signs, sends a signed note with a copy of their ID, or pays by check or money order in their name. If it's unclear, the department may ask for a notarized DS-3053.

One thing teens don't know: if a parent enrolled them in the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program, the department contacts that parent before issuing the passport.

Keeping it organized

Children's passports expire fast, every five years, and the paperwork behind them (birth certificate, custody order, consent forms) is the kind that turns up in a drawer at the wrong moment. Photograph each document, keep the originals together, and set a calendar reminder for the expiry date. The passport documents guide covers the adult version, and the consent letter page covers traveling with a child when the other parent isn't along.

Paperlock reads the expiry date from a photo of the passport, keeps it in a Face-ID-locked vault, and, with reminders on, nudges you six months, 30 days and 7 days ahead. Fees and processing times change, so check travel.state.gov before you pay.